The problems associated with the destruction and decontamination of medical waste are well-known. Syringes, plastic blood bags, metal clips, hoses, etc. present formidable problems for disposal. Not only are they difficult to deal with due to safety risks to handlers and health compliance regulations, but also they are contaminated with viral and bacterial pathogens which make their handling hazardous. These items must be decontaminated, rendered harmless and disposed of to prevent the transmission of disease, and to avoid accessibility of used needles and syringes and for purposes of general sanitation.
Devices adapted for the disposal of hospital waste are known. However, they suffer from a number of limitations, such as safety problems, including leaks and other shortcomings which make them not particularly suitable to institutional applications where relatively unskilled workers are employed as operators. Moreover, since these devices are employed for the disposal of glass, plastic and other implements, the wear and tear on the devices is considerable. The users are generally incapable of keeping the devices in proper adjustment to avoid damage. They thus require either the presence of a skilled mechanic on staff or frequent calls by the manufacturer's skilled service mechanic.
Since the advent of the disposal syringe and other disposable medical articles, there has also arisen a need for a method to prevent their misuse and theft. In hospitals today there is a tremendous volume of these articles, which after being used, must be accounted for by some method or another, all of which takes precious time. There is an ever-growing problem with theft of used syringes for illegal intra-venous drug use and/or for drug diversion.
Typically, syringes and needles are simply thrown into sharps containers and stored until the containers are collected by waste processing and disposal personnel of a facility. Storage of whole syringes and needles also pose safety risks for waste disposal collection personnel. There exists the possibility of containers breaking and collection personnel accidentally getting stuck with contaminated needles. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a device and method for disposing and reducing the volume of waste material. Therefore, there remains a need for a shredding and disposing device which is sanitary, safe to use, and can process large volumes of needles and syringes, particularly, but without limitation, on the same site as they are generated.